Reality

First Date

Harry

I pick at my nails and constantly shift my weight between my feet. The nerves running through my body are slightly overwhelming but in an exciting way. I am taking Brooke out on a date this afternoon, and I'm most certainly having an anxiety attack. If I was a nervous wreck just trying to ask her out, I'm not sure how the actual date will go.

It's been a while since my last date with someone I was actually interested in. And I don't mean that in a way that I go on dates with women I don't care for, I just mean that Brooke is the first girl in a long time that I've been really attracted to. She is beautiful and funny and smart, and everything about her is so intriguing. I find myself wanting to be around her for several reasons, one being that I'm completely in awe.

The door in front of me rapidly swings open, startling me and causing me to let out a tiny yelp. My face turns red in embarrassment as I'm not met with the girl I came to see.

"Oh my god," Aubrey jumps up with her hand against her chest. She takes in a deep breath and closes her eyes for a split second before she stares back at me. "Sorry, Harry, you scared me. I didn't know anyone was standing there. Did you knock?"

"No," I quickly shake my head and comb my fingers through my hair. I do my best to keep my eyes trained on her. I don't want to be rude, looking around in her room. "I was going to, but I hesitated."

She places her manicured hand atop my shoulder and gives me a reassuring squeeze with a smile. "Don't be nervous. Nervousness is cute to an extent. Be confident but not cocky." I nod my head in response, and she pats the side of my arm. "Just relax. It's obvious that you're nervous, you've become rigid."

I draw in a deep breath and exhale, counting to four in my head. It's always been something I do when I'm nervous. Somehow the deep breathing helps me to calm down and set my head straight.

"Thanks," I smile back at Aubrey. 

Aubrey is definitely an enigma. Her facial expressions and body language are hard to read. I find myself thinking that I catch a glimpse of sadness in her eyes, or even a hint of a lost soul, but the emotion is only there for a fraction of a second before it disappears, which makes me question myself if I even saw it in the first place.

It's always possible that she has a wall up, and that wall might be miles high. I have no idea if she really talks to anyone in the house. We have our moments, such as this, where she's a wonderful friend, and other times we are distant. And I do want to know what's up with her, but I don't know how to approach it.

"Brooke, your date has come to pick you up," Aubrey semi-yells into her room. She turns back to me and smiles as she walks past me. "Treat her well, or I'm going to break the hand you jerk off with."

"What? I don't know w-"

"Have fun!" She waves her hand and laughs as she walks toward the backyard, slipping through the door and out to one of the lounge chairs.

My cheeks are pink and my heart beat increases just slightly, and it's uncertain to me whether it's because my date with Brooke is about to actually start or because Aubrey just threatened to break my hand. But before I can think anymore about it, Brooke appears at the doorway and leaves me speechless.

She's not dressed any different than a normal day, but something about the way she looks leaves me in awe. Her blonde hair shines, her skin radiates from the slight tan she acquired at the beach yesterday, and those blue eyes sparkle like I haven't seen before.

I stand there as an idiot would: a wide-eyed look resembling a deer in headlights and my jaw nearly touching the tiled floor beneath my shoes. I can't even muster the courage to say anything to Brooke as she stares at me, waiting for a break in this awkward silence.